Wednesday’s match saw them have little difficulty in disposing of Eastern Province A 20-2. Diana Argyle, Adel Weir-Nunan, Nicola Helwick and Katherine Blake all registered straight-game victories against Eastern Province’s Lizelle Goosen, Dianne van Eyk, twins Elani and Lume Landman respectively.

Eastern Province’s number 5, Sarah O’ Grady - a learner at Woodridge College, notched their only points when she extended Sharon le Roux to 5 games.

Western Province romped through their tie with KwaZulu-Natal, dropping only one game when Alexandra Fuller accounted for Collette Ferguson 3-1.

Captain, Siyole Waters, together with Milnay Louw, Juanette Le Roux and Catherine Kloot were not extended by the home side’s quartet of Leora Greenwood, Samantha Herbert, Anne Chalmers and Kim Stewart.

Waters, Milnay, Louw, Juanette le Roux and Alexandra Fuller all registered easy victories with only Catherine Kloot, the Province number 4, losing to Lume Landman (EP).

Third seeds, Central Gauteng, who upset second seeded Northerns in the first round, notched a runaway 20-5 victory against Easterns while Northerns accounted for KwaZulu-Natal.

Louw turned the tables winning the second game by the same margin, before Waters wasted no time in taking the third game 11-4. The fourth game produced the best squash but Waters made less errors, winning the match on her second match point at 11-9.

Waters now meets Farrah Sterne of Northerns, presently ranked number-one in South Africa. Sterne coasted through 11-6 11-3 11-5 against an out-of-touch 6th seeded Adel Weir Nunan.

The play-offs for thirds and fourth positions will be played on Saturday 31st from 09h45, followed by the finals.

All three players had easy paths accounting for upstart Senade Haupt, Cara Willoughby and Juanette le Roux respectively in Wednesday’s play.

Sixth-seed Adel Weir-Nunan, who has been playing on the overseas circuit, was too focussed in her clash for fourth-seed Cheyna Tucker, who represented South African Universities at the recent World Championships in Melbourne, winning through 11-9 13-11 11-5.

In the women’s matches Sterne plays Weir-Nunan, and Waters meets Louw for a chance to play for the 2010 title. Play starts at 17h30.

A 5/8 seed, Haupt won 11-9 13-11 7-11 9-11 11-9, while Northern Gautenger Farrah Sterne, Milnay Louw (WP), Siyole Waters (WP) and Cheyna Tucker (NG) also made their way to their allotted places by registering straight-game wins.

The quarter-finals will be played on Wednesday at Wanderers, followed by the semi-finals on Thursday and the final on Saturday.

Nine years ago during his third year at UCT, Keith Grainger, a promising South African junior squash player, succumbed to a prolonged battle with bone cancer. During the time that he was a student, despite being an amputee, Grainger was actively involved with the UCT squash club, coaching many of the beginners as well as managing the students’ tour to the USA. Posthumously he received the UCT Sports Councils Chairman’s Award.

Natalie Grainger represented South Africa at both senior and junior level before moving to the USA. She has oscillated between number 1 and number 5 on the world rankings during the past few years, and played a very active role in Squash’s bid for the Olympics last year. Grainger has also been the chairperson of WISPA, the World Women’s Squash Players’ organisation.

Western Province players Milnay Louw and Siyole Waters fill the second and third places, with Northerns Cheyna Tucker at number 4.

With the order 3,4,5,2,1 Western Province’s captain Karen van der Westhuizen took to the court with Adel Weir, Weir, presently based in Qatar, took the first two games 11-6 11-4 and must have felt reasonably confident of notching the first match for Central Gauteng.

Van der Westhuizen has always been a nuggety competitor and 2009 was to prove no different. Playing to a better length and moving Weir around the court she won the third game 11- 8 and the fourth 11-3.Gaining in confidence against a despairing opponent, the Capetonian won the fifth game 11-8 – points in the match were even on 41 – all, but the first match was in the hands of Western Province.

Sacha West, the WP number 4 held the proud record of 19 consecutive wins at Kaplan Cup – 3 previous years without losing a match together with the four victories registered in 2009. She celebrated her 20th consecutive win accounting for the National under 19 team captain, Cheyna Tucker in straight games.

Playing for the first time in Western Province colours Juanette le Roux, who for the past few years had bolstered the Eastern Province team, found herself 9-11 9-11 down against Sonika Fritz, who was also making her debut for Central Gauteng, having moved from Northerns.

Perhaps the knowledge that, should she win the match, Le Roux would clinch victory for WP inspired her, or encouraged by the support of her team mates, she fought back, gradually gained the upper-hand against a tiring opponent, and went on to take the next 3 games 11- 8 11- 6 11-4 much to the vocal delight of the Western Province women and the men playing on an adjacent court.

In the first dead rubber Siyole Lusaseni, who leaves on Tuesday for Chinese Taipei, needed all her wiles to subdue former 9 times national champion, Claire Nitch in five games while Central Gauteng captain, Diana Argyle, rescued some pride for the home side when she disposed of Milnay Louw 11-7 11-6 11-7.

Central Gauteng B won the Ransome Cup ( B section) when they accounted for Northerns B.

In retrospect the Kaplan Cup week was a resounding success for women’s squash in South Africa showcasing the best of the youth – there were 4 under 16’s – Samantha Kleynhans (E), Julie Lee (Midlands), twins Elani and Lume Landman (EP), a number of under 19’s – Taryn Harborth, Nikki Melis (Midlands), Senade Haupt, Robyn Baptiste, Menanto Stoltz, Ashleigh Ditchfield (Northerns), Cheyna Tucker (Central Gauteng), Lizanne Vlok (WP), together with university students and a number of masters players.

In the number 1 slot Gautenger Dianna Argyle should have the beating of Milnay Louw in what is a repeat of the third and fourth playoff at the recent national championships – Argyle won in 4 games.

Claire Nitch’s (CG) experience may prove too much for Siyole Lusaseni who travels to Chinese Taipei to represent South Africa at the World Games, but Lusaseni has agility and youth on her side.

The outcome will hedge on the results between Adel Weir (CG) and Western Province’s captain Karen van der Westhuizen; Cheyna Tucker (CG) and Sacha West; and Sonika Fritz (CG) and Juanette Le Roux.

The B section will also see a tough tussle between the top two seeds Central Gauteng B and Northerns B.

In the Kaplan Cup (The women’s A Section) Western Province, the number 1 seeds, headed by National players Milnay Louw and Siyole Lusaseni hold a narrow 2 point lead over Central Gauteng A, the defending champions.

Central Gauteng B leads the women’s B section followed by Northerns B.

In Friday’s final rounds, Western Province will clash with Central Gauteng in the women’s A section at the Wits courts from 10:30am.

Western Province, who have dominated the women’s A section, winning the Kaplan Cup 6 times in the last 9 years, look too powerful again in 2009. Milnay Louw, Siyole Lusaseni and Karin van der Westhuizen supported by Juanettte le Roux and Sacha West should have the beating of Gauteng, Northerns, Eastern Province, Easterns and Western Province B.

Defending champions, Gauteng, who had the world-number 2 Natalie Grainger in the 2008 line-up, have included Diana Argyle, Clair Nitch, Adel Weir, Cheyna Tucker and Sonika Fritz in their attack.

The Kaplan Cup will be played in 14 teams – six in the A section, and eight in the B, while play will be daily from Monday to Friday at both the Parkview and Wits Centres, with play on Monday and Wednesday in the A sections starting at 15h00 at Parkview.

Swartz is making a successful return to the courts after a year-long lay-off as a result of an injury, and was always in command in the straight game victory over Stern, of Northerns.

In her build-up to the final, top seed Tenille Swartz was always in command in her quarterfinals clash with Leora Greenwood, winning in straight games, as was second-seeded Milnay Louw in her match against Angie Clifton Parks.

Squash’s Olympic Ambassador Siyole Lusaseni (WP) pushed fourth-seeded Diana Argyle to four games, while 2008 defending champion third-seeded Farrah Sterne also dropped a game against Juanette le Roux (WP).

Earlier in the tournament, the women’s third round was a reasonably quiet affair with the top four seeds taking their allotted places in the quarterfinals. Swartz was playing in her first South Africa tournament since an injury which kept her out of action for 2008, and exerted complete control against Cara Willoughby (N).

Louw and Diana Argyle registered straight-game victories over Robyn Baptiste and Cheyna Tucker respectively, while third-seed Farrah Sterne lost a game to KwaZulu-Natalian Samantha Herbert.

Sixth-seeded Angie Clifton Parks (E) survived a determined challenge from Adel Weir, presently based in Qatar before edging through in the fifth game.

South Africa continue to cause upsets at the World Team Squash Championships, this time outplaying 8th seeds, France 2-1, and will now meet Canada in the play-off for ninth position.